Insulating nontilting stool



Patented Dec. 30, 1930 PATENT OFFICE EMANUEL F. SHIPMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA INSULATING NONTILTING STOOL Application led December 11, 1929. Serial No. 413,185.

the workman standing upon it is thoroughly insulated from the ground or object upon 15 which the stool may be resting, and thus avoid a short circuit through the workman from any defective wiring which might be present in connection ywith the work which he is required to do.

My improved insulated non-tilting stool consists of a generally rectangular body portion having downwardly extending insulatl ing leg portions whose supporting base parts extend in contact with the ground or floor in 125 areas beyond the normal areas bounded by the rectangular body portion, the construction being such that the pressure applied to the stool bod by the workmans feet over-extending t e edge of said body will be within the fulcrum or supporting contact of the feet ofthe stool upon the ground and by reason of which no tilting will result.

' My improved stool furthermore is composed of a plurality of boards securely fastened together in overlapped relation and wherein the union of the same is secured not only by the glue but also by dowel pins driven into and through the relative parts, with the object of avoiding all metallic structures such as screws, bolts, and the like, which-might provide means of contact resulting in shortcircuiting. l y

-My stool furthermore comprises a wooden body portion having a central insulated standing portion on one side and provided, on the other side, with insulated foot portions whose contacts extend beyond thearea of the standing portion.`

My invention also embodies other features of construction which are fully described hereinafter and more particularly pointed out in the claims. l

Referring to the drawing: Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating my improved insulated and .non-tilting stool; Fig'. 2 is an inverted planview ofthe same; Fig. 3 is a verticalsection of my improved stool, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical seetion, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a similar section to Fig. 4, but having a slightly modilied foot portion; and Fig. `6 is also a view corresponding to Fig. 4, but in which the footandinsulation thereof is in modilied form.

, 2 represents the body of the stool and is of general rectangular shape. The upper portion ofthe body of the stool is composed of transverse boards '6 united by tongue and groove lateral unions 7, there being four suoli boards shown in Fig. 1. The bottom portion of the body is similarly composed of va plurality of boards 8 but having their length arranged transversely to the length of the boards 6 and these upper and lower boards are not only glued together at their surfaces. and edges, but are further united by a large number of wooden dowel pins 1() which may be tightly driven into suitable holes and glued therein.

In the case of boards 8 forming the bottom portion of the body, the adjacent boards need'not'be united through a tongue and groove construction but may have their sideV edges vertical and abutted as indicated at 9 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The four corners of the body portion are extended into horizontal projecting portions 3 from beneath which the insulating leg portions are provided. In Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the leg portions are shown as cylindrical pieces of rubber or other insulating material, the saniefitting into holes or sockets 16 bored through the lower boards 8 and in which sockets the said leg portions'may be glued and secured further by transverse wooden dowel pins 3a extending through the wooden extensions of the body portions and the insulating foot portions" 4. However, if desired, wooden pins V15 may be glued in position within the 'lower part of the extensions 3, as shown in Fig. 5, and the projecting portions thereof may be enclosed within cupshaped insulating foot portions 4, and said insulating cups may be glued or otherwise secured upon the said pins 15. As shown, the vertical center line of the foot portions 4 lie in the juncture of the vertical planes bounding the side and end portions of the body, and consequently the foot portions 4 extend beyond such vertical planes through kthe side and end portions of the body, with the result that any downward pressure along the body, even to the bounding edges thereof, will fail to tilt the body upon the leg portions. The stability of the stool is, therefore, assured.

I provide the upper surface of the stool body with ay pad 5 of rubber or other insulating'material which, though notanecessary for insulation, is desirable to both protect the wood surface and edges against destruction by abrasion and also to prevent slippage of the feet upon thestool and, at the same time, increase the insulation of the workman from contact with metal, whether it be the floor proper or a metallic portion thereof. This insulating layer of rubber or other material may be secured in place by means of rubber cement or other suitable material, preferably free from conducting properties.

The vunder portion of the body at each of its two longest sides may be recessed as at y11, said recesses preferably extending for the full depth of thelower boards 8, as shown in Fie. 3, and providing short rail portions 12 between them and the side edges of the body. These recesses provide space for the finger tips and, in a general way, constitute handle portions which may be readily grasped and lirmly held in conveniently transporting the stool from place to place.

Ordinarily, the boards 6 and 8 may be glued and pinned directly in contact as shown in Fig. 1, but where a greater linish is desired, the upper surface of the body and leg portions may be covered with a thin veneer 13 of hard wood, and similarly, if desired, a thin hard wood layer may be interposed between the boards 6 and 8, as indicated at 14 in F ig. 3, which, if of. a dark wood, gives a finish to the edges of the stool in addition to insuring a better union between the top and bottom boards. If desired, this veneer 13 and intermediate layer 14 may be made as laminated board, such as employedin chair sides, the grain of the adjacent layers arranged at right angles to each otherto prevent splitting, said laminated structure being shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. l

Instead of employing large cylindrical rubber feet, I may use glass insulators screwed upon the posts 15 as shown in Fig. 6, in lieu of the structure shown in Fig. `5.

Referring to Fig. 6, the posts 15 are provided with screw threaded ends 16a upon which may be screwed the glass insulators 17, but while said construction will provide ample insulation, the objection to the use of glass for the feet resides in the fact that they are liable to be cracked and broken olf by careless handling of the stool in contact with the hard floor or metallic obstruction there on. By making the feet of non-brittle insulating material, such as rubber, the stool may be carelessly thrown into the repair wagons or upon the floor when being used without any danger whatever of breaking or loosening the insulation of the foot portions. V It will also be seen that by employing cylindrical rubber feet fitted into recesses, there are no pockets or surfaceswhere water could collect to deteriorate the insulating qualities of the device.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that I ldo not restrict myself to the details as the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim: Y

1. An insulating non-tilting stool, comprising a body portion of general rcctangular shape composed of upper and lower boards .secured together to form a multieply structure of substantially uniform thickness, and in 'which the corner portions of the upper and lower boards are extended beyond the general rectangular body portion, insulating foot portions having their upper ends extended into the lower boards of the multiply corner portions, and said foot portions extending beyond the rectangular area of the body portion;

. '2. The invention according to claim l, wherein further, the upper ply of the body portion and the extended foot carrying portions are formed of a plurality of boards arranged side by side and a continuous veneer layer of hardwood extending over and secured to all of said boards.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein further, the foot portions comprise cylindrical rubber parts of uniform diameter setA into the corner extensions of the lower set of boards forming a part of the body por tion of the stool. v y Y 4. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the grain of the fiber of the upper boards is arranged at substantially right angles to the grain ofthe lower boards` and in which also the upper and lower boards are glued together and also directly united by dowel pins o f insulating material.

means 5. The invention according to lclaim 1, wherein further, the lower side boards are provided with recessed portions provldlng handle parts adjacent to the side edges of the body portion.

6. An insulating non-tilting stool having a rectangular body portion formed with an insulating covering and also having a lower part composed of a plurality of parallel boards secured together and said boards providing circular projecting portions beyond the corners of the body and insulating Jr'oot portions extending upward into the circular corner projecting portions whereby said foot portions extend beyond the rectangular body portion. v

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

EMANUEL F. SHIPMAN. 

